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The problem is that on the one hand they want to enable USB-c to be low cost and universal for all devices. But on the other hand you want USB-C to support 100W and 240W charging but it’s not cost effective to put enough copper to carry 100-240W in your average low cost phone cable.

So the cable needs something active to indicate it’s capability. So you don’t melt it.

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I imagine you could do this passively with some differently valued resistors in the cable.

Or even actively by the charged device reporting the voltage on its end. Too much current, high voltage drop, better decrease the current.

That would only occur during the overcurrent event. Robust engineering would not only try to correct existing overcurrent events but also to prevent them.

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